Left Abandoned and Alone
by Rosemary1234
Summary: Layla Ramirez wasn't prepared for this sudden event in her life. It seems there is no hope left for her, and no one who can give it.


**A/N: This is my OC Layla Ramirez's backstory. Its just so the readers of my other story, "Righting the Wrongs" can have some information on her past so I wont have to explain it all in my fic. :)**

Seven year old Layla Ramirez lay sleeping peacefully as streams of spring sunlight poured through the glass window. She snored loudly as drool trickled cautiously out of her mouth.

Lazily, Layla blinked a sluggish eye open and glanced around the room. An enormous yawn escaped her throat, as she slowly sat up and stretched her thin arms.

Her mass of unkempt dark brown curls fell to her shoulders, before the rest cascaded down to her lower back. It weighed heavy in an assortment of twists and tangles.

Layla's dark blue eyes dulled with tiredness, as she swung her leg over the side of the small bedframe. She hoisted her too large pajama bottoms up, as they threatened to slide off of her lower body, and adjusted too much too large sleeping shirt she had currently been wearing. Layla casually stepped towards the mirror on her bedroom wall and took in the sight.

"Boy, I'm a mess in the morning…" Layla said to herself with yet another yawn.

She stumbled into the bathroom across the hall, and began her morning routine. She independently turned the shower on (A feat that she was very proud of) and began shampooing the dangerously untidy bulk of hair resting atop her head.

After dressing herself in a light purple tee, which was of course her favorite color, and a pair of skinny jeans, she slipped a pair of slightly dirty socks on and lumbered down the stairs.

"Mom?! I'm up! May I please have bacon and eggs for breakfast?" She called. There was no reply as Layla, feeling puzzled, stepped into her home's tiny kitchen and glanced around, only to see her mother wasn't currently present in the room.

"Mom? Where are you?" Layla called again.

Usually her mother was always awake before her. It was a fine and pretty Saturday morning, and Layla had expected her mother to be sitting at the kitchen table reading the daily paper, and drinking a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

The sight confused Layla.

Layla trudged back up the staircase, nearly tripping on the old brown rug at the top, and made her way towards her mother's bedroom.

She opened the door a crack and peaked inside, only to step back in confusion. Layla paused a moment, before entering the room. There was nobody inside.

The bed was neatly made, and the room was nice and clean. Not a thing seemed out of place. But that was the problem.

Her mother was no neat freak, and probably wouldn't even think about starting weekend chores, like cleaning the house, until after noon. Where was her mother?

Layla checked their shared bathroom only to find it empty as well. Layla was beginning to panic now. She ran through the house checking every cupboard and every closet. No room was left untouched as Layla flew through the home like a fleeting bird.

She stopped to catch her breath as her eyes darted every direction.

"Maybe Mom is just out running some errands…" Layla tried to reassure herself.

But her mother had never left her home alone before, and she would at least have told Layla if she was going out.

"Yeah… That must be it!" Layla tried to convince herself, as she plopped down on their old sofa and clicked the TV on.

Hours passed, and soon the moon was glowing brightly in the night sky. Layla lay huddled on the couch's cushions, a blanket draping over her shivering shoulders.

Tears escaped her eyes as she began to wonder where her mother could be. Maybe her mother's parent's gang had finally found them. Maybe they had taken her mother back to South America. Or worse.

* * *

Her mother had grown up in South America under the neglect of her drug abusing parents, who treated her horribly. In Layla's mother's adolescent years, they had disowned her, telling her to leave or else they would have their local gang 'take care' of her.

Cierra Ramirez had fled to the United States once she was a legal adult, where she became an American Citizen, and met Layla's father. Mrs. Ramirez hardly ever talked about Layla's father, only saying things like 'he was a kind man' or 'he had to leave because of his work.'

Layla knew that she would never understand why her mother kept so many secrets from her.

Though the possibilities of her mother being kidnapped by her own parents seemed very unlikely, Layla let her mind wander over even the craziest of fantasies. She found herself drifting into a fitful sleep.

In the morning Layla awoke, drenched in sweat and as she clumsily stretched.

"Mom?" She called. There was still no reply from anywhere in the home.

She stood up, walked to the kitchen, and dialed 911.

* * *

The officers sent to investigate searched the entire town. Her mother was gone without a trace. Layla swore she overheard them discussing the possibility that Cierra Ramirez had simply abandoned Layla and that the stress of being a single mother had driven her to misguided and drastic decisions.

But of course, Layla knew they must be wrong. Her mother would never leave her! It was impossible that her mother would leave her… Wasn't it? Her mother loved her! There was no way she would leave her all alone without a second thought.

A tall women in a very professional looking outfit arrived to take Layla away a few days later.

"I am Susan Bents, and you are being submitted into the state's foster care system." She had said. Layla hadn't understood completely what this meant until Ms. Bent's next words.

"Your mother is gone, and we are going to find you a new family now." The women did not show sympathy in her eyes as she stared at the little dark haired girl who had begun to through a dramatic tantrum out of pure fear.

* * *

Year after year followed. Layla remained forgotten for the most part. In and out of what seemed like every foster home in the whole country, she fought for acceptance and reassurance.

She was disciplined for her violent scuffles with other children, and would scream angrily at any couple interested in adopting her.

Eventually, no one bothered to speak with her anymore, as she was moved again and again in hopes that one day, some sorry young pair would take her off the orphanage's hands.

Now 13 years old, Layla sobbed into the pillow held tightly against her tear stained face. What did she ever do to deserve this?

She had arrived in this new home for girls a few weeks ago and hadn't left the room, only getting up when food was brought to her and left outside the door.

Layla's mind burned with confusion from the past, and hurt from the countless rejections. Earlier, she had locked the door to make sure no one would dare to bother her. Layla began to hum quietly to herself. A tune her mother had once sung many years ago.

She abruptly stopped though, as the familiar sound of a key turning a lock echoed through the small room. The door turned and silently swung open, revealing the intruder.

A young girl not that much older than herself entered. Her long platinum blond hair hung limply around her pale face, and her perplexing grey eyes blinked curiously at her.

Layla looked up confusedly.

"Hello." The girl smiled pleasantly.

"My name is Anima. What is your name?" She asked in a unique wisplike voice.

"L-Layla… Layla Ramirez." She found herself stuttering back. The girl smiled and causally walked towards her, plopping down beside her on the small bed.

"It's very nice to meet you Layla." She spoke politely.

She sat blankly staring at Layla with that same strange smile plastered across her lips, waiting for a reply.

"Why did you come up here? Did _they_ send you? Layla asked untrustingly, still unsure about the eyes this girl seemed to possess.

It was like they were hollow eyes. Strange bright orbs that seemed to have broken but were still scarred, years after supposedly healing.

The swirling mist in those eyes begged her to spill. To spew forth all of the secrets and tortures that had plagued her for so many years. The tormenting emotions that had tainted her nature since her mother's unforgotten disappearance.

There was also intelligence in those eyes. An understanding of the world Layla had yet to fully grasp. This Anima girl was very strange to Layla.

"Yes. Ms. Jefferson sent me up here to ask you to come down and meet the other girls." Anima said, without taking her eyes off of Layla's own deep blue ones.

"But I also wanted to make sure you were alright." She added with a tinge of concern creeping into the back of her voice.

"It's always hard at first. Moving to another new place. Trying to leave it all behind again even though you can never really forget…" She continued.

Layla stared, trying to see her point.

"Trust me. I've been there. I've seen a lot in my young life." Anima said with a sigh, moving her glance to stare at the wall instead.

"I doubt you've been through what I have…" Layla answered grimly.

Anima laughed without humor as a sick grin crept onto her face.

"Oh yeah? Try me." She said as if it were a game. Her head spun around circling the room for eavesdroppers, before she looked back at Layla.

"Ask me a question and I'll answer best I can." She said with a slightly forced smile. Layla blinked uncomfortably, but complied.

"Okay… What are you in for?" Layla phrased it like they were criminals in a prison, but Anima understood the meaning of the words.

She laughed joyfully and began to speak.

"I watched my mother be murdered right before my eyes." She answered sadly.

Layla stared in shock. She hadn't expected something like that.

"I was around eight you know. I woke up when I heard the screaming. I walked into her bedroom and there she was, being violently assaulted. There was blood everywhere." Anima choked on the words painfully before they left her mouth.

"Let's just that the assailant was… A really close family friend." Anima looked down, and Layla thought she saw a tear slide down that pearly white cheek of hers.

Layla felt compelled to comfort her, and set a hand on her shoulder gently.

Anima looked up expressionlessly.

"What about you? What happened to you folks?" She asked in a whisper.

Her eyes locked with Layla's and a silent conversation began between the two. Layla decided to speak.

It felt like an obligation to share her history with this girl who had honestly offered up a great deal more to her than anyone had bothered to do in years.

"I don't know what happened to my mother. I woke up one day, and she was gone. The police never found her." Spoke Layla.

Anima gasped quietly.

"That's horrible! At least I knew that my mother's suffering was over. At least I had the closure of knowing what happened to her." Anima said, pulling Layla into a tight hug that caught her off guard.

Surprised, Layla hugged her back.

"But to not know what happened to your mother or why she left or if she was taken from you… You're a lot braver than I am LaLa." Anima said seriously.

Layla giggled at the nickname.

It was slightly irritating, but hearing it come from Anima's lips sounded humorous. Anima's voice was quite high pitched, that hearing her say 'LaLa' resembled that of a mouse's squeak.

Anima pulled away from the hug and stood up, offering her hand to Layla.

Layla smiled her first genuine smile in years, and gratefully took the hand.

Together, the two of them made their way down stairs hand in hand.

Layla found herself thinking.

Maybe there was still hope for her after all. If this girl standing next to her could survive something as horrific as bearing the weight of witness to a loved one's murder, then surely Layla would be alright in the end.

She had found something important that day. Something she hadn't had since before her mother was gone. Layla Ramirez had found a friend.

The world seemed a little brighter that day.

**A/N: This is the most words I've written for a single chapter before. Woo Hoo! Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. I wanted to include how Layla met Anima because their friendship runs deeper than anyone else at the orphanage really understands, and I just really enjoy writing about them. Review please! Reviews are my favorite thing in the world. :)**


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